You thought you’d done a good thing: you finally listened to all the warnings and locked your iPhone with a passcode or, if you are one of the lucky few with a shiny new 5s, the new fingerprint lock. Sadly, one of Apple’s other famed technologies may betray you in the end. An Isreali security analyst has uncovered a significant flaw in iOS7 security when access to Siri on your iPhone’s lockscreen is enabled. The problem is part convenience and part bug: using Siri while your phone is locked allows you to make calls without having to punch in a passcode, something that is indispensible while driving, or when your hands are otherwise occupied. Unfortunately, using Siri in this manner leaves a back door open in the form of unfettered access to the phone app, while your phone is still locked. Oh, and did you remember that Siri responds to anyone’s voice, not just the owners?
What this means for you:
“How bad could this be?” I hear you asking. While in the phone app, the user can access the phone’s voicemail, send text messages, view the calendar and look through all the contacts in your phone. If you don’t consider that private, you are part of a very small minority on this planet. The fix is simple: disable access to Siri from the lockscreen. The recommendation: do it now if you care about your phone’s security. It’s likely Apple will fix this flaw, but will they do it in time to protect your confidential data?
